Instructor: Jason McCollom Show bio Jason has a PhD. Traditionally wary of foreign entanglements, the U.S. moved towards expansion and engagement in many parts of the world in the 1890s. In this lesson, learn the reasons for this shift and read about important examples. In the 1890s, a Kentucky writer boasted about America's growing power:
'We are a Nation--with the biggest kind of 'N', a great imperial Republic destined to exercise a controlling influence upon the actions of mankind and to affect the future of the world.' The U.S. was, in fact, the economic powerhouse of the world around the turn of the century, and Americans began to see themselves alongside the great European powers as global leaders. Another reason Americans turned outwards in the late 19th century involved several internal problems. Many believed that an aggressive foreign policy would serve as a distraction from these issues. For instance, one of the worst economic depressions in history slammed the country in 1893, followed by violent workers' strikes and a farmers' third-party political challenge - the Populists - to the two major parties, the Democrats and Republicans. There was a sense that America needed an outlet for these fears, frustrations, and unrest. And that outlet, that 'safety valve,' could be overseas expansion and foreign engagement. As Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge explained, expansion could 'knock on the head…the matters which have embarrassed us at home.' There were also fears that European expansion across the world was cutting off and blocking American access to markets and raw materials. If the U.S. didn't act fast to acquire overseas territory, the argument went, there would be nothing left to take! With all of the North American continent wrested from Native Americans, it was natural for Americans to look for opportunities abroad.
Justifications for ExpansionOne of the biggest challenges was overcoming Americans' tradition of anti-colonialism. The American colonies, after all, had fought for their freedom from Britain in the late 18th century. From there, the country based itself on the ideals of liberty and freedom. And one of the last public statements of George Washington urged Americans to avoid getting entangled with other nations' affairs. All these things worked against America becoming an expansionist power without a bit of soul searching. Influential government leaders and businessmen, however, put forth a series of arguments meant to convince Americans to embrace the country's new role as a world power aggressively looking outward from their shores. First, they suggested that America's democratic system was the superior way of life, and that it was the obligation of the U.S. to spread democracy to less 'civilized' peoples around the globe. As Congregationalist minister Josiah Strong said, God was 'preparing in our civilization the die with which to stamp nations…preparing mankind to receive our impress.' Others picked up on Europeans' justification for colonialism: the so-called 'white man's burden.' This belief argued that Anglo-Saxon peoples (mainly Americans and Britons) stood at the top of all races with superior intellect, industry, and morality, and thus were naturally positioned to rule over other 'lesser' peoples. Finally, many Americans believed overseas expansion was good for commerce, in opening up markets abroad and extracting raw materials from overseas regions. Create an account to start this course today Used by over 30 million students worldwide Create an account Explore our library of over 84,000 lessonsAmerican participation in World War I led to a revulsion against overseas commitments, which reached its peak in the Senate rejection of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) and the new League of Nations. Rising domestic criticism in the 1920s brought about the liquidation of the military government in the Dominican Republic and moderate relaxation of American political controls elsewhere in the Caribbean. At the same time, however, the U.S. government and business community cooperated in pushing American exports and foreign loans, leading some later historians to envision an "open door imperialism" based on American economic influence abroad. An alternate view was that the United States did indeed seek such economic influence, but that most Americans then thought it possible to separate the political and economic aspects of international relations in a manner considered unrealistic by later generations. The Great Depression of the 1930s brought an even greater emphasis on the economic side of foreign policy and a corresponding decline in interest in other aspects. The Good Neighbor policy of Franklin D. Roosevelt brought the dismantling of Caribbean military interventions and political protectorates, at the same time that Latin America was tied more closely to the American economy by means of reciprocal trade agreements. The Philippine Islands were set on the path to independence in 1934, while the Neutrality Acts of 1935–1938 were designed to minimize economic ties to belligerents in foreign wars. The Monroe Doctrine took on a new theoretical formulation as an association of hemispheric equals for collective security, and the isolationist majority in the United States eschewed any national interest in the world's affairs outside the Western Hemisphere. American imperialism was declared to be dead, never to arise again. At the end of the 1930s there was a rapid reversal of thinking largely caused by the early victories of Nazi Germany during the new European war, and particularly by the shock created by the fall of France in 1940. Americans quickly became internationalists, the new consensus being that the world's democracies must stand together to check the crimes of "gangster nations" like Germany, Italy, and Japan. It now appeared that peace was indivisible and that the United States must be concerned with events in every corner of the globe. With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor late in 1941, the United States went to war in both Europe and Asia. During World War II, the United States fought as a member of a coalition that included Great Britain, the Soviet Union, Nationalist China, and many lesser members—a circumstance that drew the United States even further into global affairs. Mobilizing enormous fighting power and productivity, Americans found themselves at the close of the struggle with their armed forces deployed in Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, Australasia, and Latin America. Other articles you might like:When did the US switch from isolationism to imperialism?After more than one hundred years of isolationism, at the end of the nineteenth century the United States became an imperial power.
Why did the United States shift away from a policy of isolationism?Pearl Harbor
The outrage of U.S. citizens following the attack meant the end isolationism in the country. Americans realized that this was a war that they would need to join and that it was time for the United States to enter World War II.
What are some factors that caused the United States shift from isolationism to imperialism?10 Imperial Powerful Countries.. 5 Factors that fueled. Intervention / American Imperialism:. Economic Competition. - Industrial Rev. ... . Political Reasons. - recognized as a world power. ... . Military Competition. - needed to compete with.. Racial / Cultural Superiority. - English descendants believed they. ... . Religious Reasons.. Why did the United States choose to practice isolationism instead of imperialism?Isolationism refers to America's longstanding reluctance to become involved in European alliances and wars. Isolationists held the view that America's perspective on the world was different from that of European societies and that America could advance the cause of freedom and democracy by means other than war.
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